Men's Cross Country

John Mantia Named Massasoit Cross Country Head Coach

BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Former UMass Amherst cross country and track student-athlete John Mantia was recently named the next Massasoit CC cross country head coach for the 2016 season.

Mantia competed for the Minutemen from 2011-2015, racing in a number of different events during his time in Amherst.

"We are excited for John to take the reins of our cross country program," Athletics Director Julie Mulvey said. "He has a true passion for running and can take his knowledge and recent experiences as a student-athlete and apply it here at Massasoit. John is a great fit for our department."

A long distance specialist, Mantia ran anything from the 400-meter to the 10k and everything in between during his time with the Minutemen. He also raced on in the 4x400 relay team and in the 3,000m steeplechase, which he finished 11th at the Atlantic 10 Championships in 2014 in a personal best time of 9:29.48.

"I'm beyond excited for the opportunity to coach cross county here at Massasoit," Mantia said. "I love the idea of being able to work with students and help make them better with regards to running. It's rare you get to do a job that coincides with something you are passionate for, something you dedicated years to doing and something that you've studied (kinesiology). I could not be more excited about this opportunity."

Mantia graduated from UMass in 2016 with a degree in kinesiology and was an All-scholastic All-Star at Coyle & Cassidy High School. He is currently taking classes at Massasoit with plans to attend physical therapy school in the future.

In addition to coaching cross country, Mantia will assist track & field head coach Matt Jordan in the spring.